Taxonomic Notes on Two Apolygus Species (Heteroptera: Miridae: Mirinae) in Korea

Apolygus subhilaris (Yasunaga 1992) is reported for the first time from the Korean peninsula, and a new host plant of A. watajii Yasunaga and Yasunaga 2000 is confirmed. Diagnostic characters to separate them from allied species are given with photos of dried specimens, male genitalia and live adults. A key to Korean Apolygus species is provided.     

Taxonomic review of genus Diaparsis Förster (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Tersilochinae) from South Korea

Eleven species of the genus Diaparsis, including two unidentified species, are recorded from South Korea. One new species, D. koreana Khalaim, et al., sp. nov., is described, and six species, D. carinifer (Thomson), D. convexa Khalaim, D. egregia Khalaim, D. hyperae Kusigemati, D. jucunda (Holmgren) and D. neoplicator Khalaim, are recorded from this country for the first time. Diaparsis hyperae and D. pulchra are the most abundant species of the genus in the Korean fauna. A key to eleven species of Diaparsis occurring in South Korea is provided.     

Validation of the detection of Pseudo-nitzschia spp. using specific RNA probes tested in a microarray format: Calibration of signal based on variability of RNA content with environmental conditions

Harmful algal blooms (HAB) occur worldwide and cause health problems and economic damage to fisheries and tourism. Monitoring for toxic algae is therefore essential but is based primarily on light microscopy, which is time consuming and can be limited by insufficient morphological characters such that more time is needed to examine critical features with electron microscopy. Monitoring with molecular tools is done in only a few places world-wide. EU FP7 MIDTAL (Microarray Detection of Toxic Algae) used SSU and LSU rRNA genes as targets on microarrays to identify toxic species. In order to comply with current monitoring requirements to report cell numbers as the relevant threshold measurement to trigger closure of fisheries, it was necessary to calibrate our microarray to convert the hybridisation signal obtained to cell numbers. Calibration curves for two species of Pseudo-nitzschia for use with the MIDTAL microarray are presented to obtain cell numbers following hybridisation. It complements work presented by Barra et al. (2012b. Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. doi: 10.1007/s11356-012-1330-1v) for two other Pseudo-nitzschia spp., Dittami and Edvardsen (2012a. J. Phycol. 48, 1050) for Pseudochatonella, Blanco et al. (2013. Harmful Algae 24, 80) for Heterosigma, McCoy et al. (2013. FEMS. doi: 10.1111/1574-6941.12277) for Prymnesium spp., Karlodinium veneficum, and cf. Chatonella spp. and Taylor et al. (2014. Harmful Algae, in press) for Alexandrium.     

Taxonomic review of the genus Orius (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae) in the Korean Peninsula

A total of five species the genus Orius are revised from the Korean Peninsula, containing four native species, O. minutus (Linnaeus 1758), O. sauteri (Poppius 1909), O. nagaii Yasunaga 1993 and O. strigicollis (Poppius 1914), and an introduced species for biological control, O. laevigatus Fieber 1860. Orius laticollis Reuter 1884, formally recorded in the Korean Peninsula, is deleted from the Korean fauna registry. The preparation of the macerated slide specimen was applied to this group for the first time, which is confirmed to be effective to identify the Orius species, especially the female specimens whose genital structures have been hardly observed in the traditional dissection method. Observing macerated specimens, new taxonomical characters are documented.     

Pearl mussels (Bivalvia, Margaritiferidae, Dahurinaia) from the Amur River basin

Four species of pearl mussels inhabit the Amur River basin: Dahurinaia prozarovae Bog. et Star. in: Bog et al., 2003; D. dahurica (Midd, 1850); D. ussuriensis Bog., Proz. et Star., 2003; and D. tiunovae Bog. et Star., 1988. The name of Dahurinaia transbaicalica Klishko, 2008 is shown to be a synonym for D. ussuriensis. The finding of D. sujfunensis Moskv., 1973 in the Upper Amur basin turned out to be questionable.     

Complete Genome Sequence of T4-Like Escherichia coli Bacteriophage HX01

Phage T4 is among the best-characterized biological systems (S. Kanamaru and F. Arisaka, Seikagaku 74:131-135, 2002; E. S. Miller et al., Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 67:86-156, 2003; W. B. Wood and H. R. Revel, Bacteriol. Rev. 40:847-868, 1976). To date, several genomes of T4-like bacteriophages are available in public databases but without any APEC bacteriophages (H. Jiang et al., Arch. Virol. 156:1489-1492, 2011; L. Kaliniene, V. Klausa, A. Zajanckauskaite, R. Nivinskas, and L. Truncaite, Arch. Virol. 156:1913-1916, 2011; J. H. Kim et al., Vet. Microbiol. 157:164-171, 2012; W. C. Liao et al., J. Virol. 85:6567-6578, 2011). We isolated a bacteriophage from a duck factory, named HX01, that infects avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC). Sequence and morphological analyses revealed that phage HX01 is a T4-like bacteriophage and belongs to the family Myoviridae. Here, we announce the complete genome sequence of phage HX01 and report the results of our analysis.     

A new species of Japanagallia Ishihara (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Megophthalminae) from Southern China

The paper deals with a new leafhopper species from Southern China, Japanagallia confusasp. nov., previously misidentified as J. hamataZhang and Li, 1999 by Viraktamath et al., 2012. The species is described and figured and compared to the similar J. hamata and J. neohamata Li et al. 2014.www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:6BABEE67-3F22-4A47-A2C0-27112C6835FA     

A review of the genus Bothynogria Borchmann, 1915 with descriptions of one new species and two new record species from China (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Lagriinae: Lagriini: Lagriina)

The genus Bothynogria Borchmann, 1915 is reviewed, with a key to all known seven species provided in the present paper. A new species Bothynogria nigripennis sp. n., and two new record species for China, Bothynogria bicolor (Kollar et Redtenbacher, 1848) and Bothynogria meghalayana Merkl, 1990, are identified and redescribed. The habitus, male antennae and aedeagus are photographed and presented for all known species except for Bothynogria bhutanica. Ecological information and intraspecific variations are also provided for Bothynogria calcarata.www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:5D8BFBCD-73AF-4AD4-94DE-3F24ECE31C1D.     

Ubiquitination of S4-RNase by S-LOCUS F-BOX LIKE2 Contributes to Self-Compatibility of Sweet Cherry ‘Lapins’

Recent studies have shown that loss of pollen-S function in S₄′ pollen from sweet cherry (Prunus avium) is associated with a mutation in an S haplotype-specific F-box4 (SFB4) gene. However, how this mutation leads to self-compatibility is unclear. Here, we examined this mechanism by analyzing several self-compatible sweet cherry varieties. We determined that mutated SFB4 (SFB4ʹ) in S4′ pollen (pollen harboring the SFB4ʹ gene) is approximately 6 kD shorter than wild-type SFB4 due to a premature termination caused by a four-nucleotide deletion. SFB4′ did not interact with S-RNase. However, a protein in S4′ pollen ubiquitinated S-RNase, resulting in its degradation via the 26S proteasome pathway, indicating that factors in S4′ pollen other than SFB4 participate in S-RNase recognition and degradation. To identify these factors, we used S₄-RNase as a bait to screen S4′ pollen proteins. Our screen identified the protein encoded by S₄-SLFL2, a low-polymorphic gene that is closely linked to the S-locus. Further investigations indicate that SLFL2 ubiquitinates S-RNase, leading to its degradation. Subcellular localization analysis showed that SFB4 is primarily localized to the pollen tube tip, whereas SLFL2 is not. When S₄-SLFL2 expression was suppressed by antisense oligonucleotide treatment in wild-type pollen tubes, pollen still had the capacity to ubiquitinate S-RNase; however, this ubiquitin-labeled S-RNase was not degraded via the 26S proteasome pathway, suggesting that SFB4 does not participate in the degradation of S-RNase. When SFB4 loses its function, S₄-SLFL2 might mediate the ubiquitination and degradation of S-RNase, which is consistent with the self-compatibility of S4′ pollen.

In sweet cherry (Prunus avium), self-incompatibility is mainly controlled by the S-locus, which is located at the end of chromosome 6 (Akagi et al., 2016; Shirasawa et al., 2017). Although the vast majority of sweet cherry varieties show self-incompatibility, some self-compatible varieties have been identified, most of which resulted from the use of x-ray mutagenesis and continuous cross-breeding (Ushijima et al., 2004; Sonneveld et al., 2005). At present, naturally occurring self-compatible varieties are rare (Marchese et al., 2007; Wünsch et al., 2010; Ono et al., 2018). X-ray-induced mutations that have given rise to self-compatibility include a 4-bp deletion (TTAT) in the gene encoding an SFB4′ (S-locus F-box 4′) protein, located in the S-locus and regarded as the dominant pollen factor in self-incompatibility. This mutation is present in the first identified self-compatible sweet cherry variety, ‘Stellar’, as well as in a series of its self-compatible descendants, including ‘Lapins’, ‘Yanyang’, and ‘Sweet heart’ (Lapins, 1971; Ushijima et al., 2004). Deletion of SFB3 and a large fragment insertion in SFB5 have also been identified in other self-compatible sweet cherry varieties (Sonneveld et al., 2005; Marchese et al., 2007). Additionally, a mutation not linked to the S-locus (linked instead to the M-locus) could also cause self-compatibility in sweet cherry and closely related species such as apricot (Prunus armeniaca; Wünsch et al., 2010; Zuriaga et al., 2013; Muñoz-Sanz et al., 2017; Ono et al., 2018). Much of the self-compatibility in Prunus species seems to be closely linked to mutation of SFB in the S-locus (Zhu et al., 2004; Muñoz-Espinoza et al., 2017); however, the mechanism of how this mutation of SFB causes self-compatibility is unknown.The gene composition of the S-locus in sweet cherry differs from that of other gametophytic self-incompatible species, such as apple (Malus domestica), pear (Pyrus spp.), and petunia (Petunia spp.). In sweet cherry, in addition to a single S-RNase gene, the S-locus contains one SFB gene, which has a high level of allelic polymorphism, and three SLFL (S-locus F-box-like) genes with low levels of, or no, allelic polymorphism (Ushijima et al., 2004; Matsumoto et al., 2008). By contrast, the apple, pear, and petunia S-locus usually contains one S-RNase and 16 to 20 F-box genes (Kakui et al., 2011; Okada et al., 2011, 2013; Minamikawa et al., 2014; Williams et al., 2014a; Yuan et al., 2014; Kubo et al., 2015; Pratas et al., 2018). The F-box gene, named SFBB (S-locus F-box brother) in apple and pear and SLF (S-locus F-box) in petunia, exhibits higher sequence similarity with SLFL than with SFB from sweet cherry (Matsumoto et al., 2008; Tao and Iezzoni, 2010). The protein encoded by SLF in the petunia S-locus is thought to be part of an SCF (Skp, Cullin, F-box)-containing complex that recognizes nonself S-RNase and degrades it through the ubiquitin pathway (Kubo et al., 2010; Zhao et al., 2010; Chen et al., 2012; Entani et al., 2014; Li et al., 2014, 2016, 2017; Sun et al., 2018). In sweet cherry, a number of reports have described the expression and protein interactions of SFB, SLFL, Skp1, and Cullin (Ushijima et al., 2004; Matsumoto et al., 2012); however, only a few reports have examined the relationship between SFB/SLFL and S-RNase (Matsumoto and Tao, 2016, 2019), and none has investigated whether the SFB/SLFL proteins participate in the ubiquitin labeling of S-RNase.Although the function of SFB4 and SLFL in self-compatibility is unknown, the observation that S4′ pollen tubes grow in sweet cherry pistils that harbor the same S alleles led us to speculate that S4′ pollen might inhibit the toxicity of self S-RNase. In petunia, the results of several studies have suggested that pollen tubes inhibit self S-RNase when an SLF gene from another S-locus haplotype is expressed (Sijacic et al., 2004; Kubo et al., 2010; Williams et al., 2014b; Sun et al., 2018). For example, when SLF2 from the S₇ haplotype is heterologously expressed in pollen harboring the S₉ or S₁₁ haplotype, the S₉ or S₁₁ pollen acquire the capacity to inhibit self S-RNase and break down self-incompatibility (Kubo et al., 2010). The SLF2 protein in petunia has been proposed to ubiquitinate S₉-RNase and S₁₁-RNase and lead to its degradation through the 26S proteasome pathway (Entani et al., 2014). If SFB/SLFL in sweet cherry have a similar function, the S4′ pollen would not be expected to inhibit self S₄-RNase, prompting the suggestion that the functions of SFB/SLFL in sweet cherry and SLF in petunia vary (Tao and Iezzoni, 2010; Matsumoto et al., 2012).In this study, we used sweet cherry to investigate how S4′ pollen inhibits S-RNase and causes self-compatibility, focusing on the question of whether the SFB/SLFL protein can ubiquitinate S-RNase, resulting in its degradation.     

Conceptual thresholds for same and different in old-(Macaca mulatta) and new-world (Cebus apella) monkeys

Learning of the relational same/different (S/D) concept has been demonstrated to be largely dependent upon stimulus sets containing more than two items for pigeons and old-world monkeys. Stimulus arrays containing several images for use in same/different discrimination procures (e.g. 16 identical images vs. 16 nonidentical images) have been shown to facilitate and even be necessary for learning of relational concepts ( [Flemming et al., 2007], [Wasserman et al., 2001] and [Young et al., 1997]). In the present study, we investigate the threshold at which a new world primate, the capuchin (Cebus apella) may be able to make such a discrimination. Utilizing a method of increasing entropy, rather than conventional procedures of decreasing entropy, we demonstrate unique evidence that capuchin monkeys are readily capable of making 2-item relational S/D conditional discriminations. In another experiment, we examine the supposed level of difficulty in making S/D discriminations by rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). Whereas pigeons (Columba livia) and baboons (Papio papio) have shown marked difficulty simultaneously discriminating same from different arrays at all when composed of fewer than 8 items each, rhesus monkeys seem to understand that pairs of stimuli connote sameness and difference just the same (Flemming et al., 2007). With sustained accurate performance of 2-item S/D discriminations, both experienced and task-naïve rhesus monkeys appear quite certain in their conceptual knowledge of same and different. We conclude that learning of the same/different relational concept may be less dependent upon high levels of entropy contrast than originally hypothesized for nonhuman primates.     

Mutational analysis of the cytoplasmic domain of CEACAM1-4L in humanized mammary glands reveals key residues involved in lumen formation: Stimulation by Thr-457 and inhibition by Ser-461

CEACAM1 (carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1), a type I transmembrane glycoprotein involved in cell-cell adhesion, undergoes extensive alternative splicing, resulting in isoforms with 1-4 Ig-like extracellular domains (ECDs) with either long or short cytoplasmic tails. We have previously shown that CEACAM1-4L (4 ECDs with a long cytoplasmic domain) formed glands with lumena in humanized mammary mouse fat pads in NOD/SCID mice. In order to identify the key residues of CEACAM1-4L that play essential roles in lumen formation, we introduced phosphorylation mimic (e.g., Thr-457 or Ser-461 to Asp) or null mutations (Thr-457 or Ser-461 to Ala) into the cytoplasmic domain of CEACAM1-4L and tested them in both the in vivo mouse model and in vitro Matrigel model of mammary morphogenesis. MCF7 cells stably expressing CEACAM1-4L with the single mutation T457D or the double mutant T457D+S461D, but not the null mutants induced central lumen formation in 3D Matrigel and in humanized mammary fat pads. However, the single phosphorylation mimic mutation S461D, but not the null mutation blocked lumen formation in both models, suggesting that S461 has inhibitory function in glandular lumen formation. Compared to our results for the -4S isoform (Chen et al., J. Biol. Chem, 282: 5749-5760, 2008), the T457A null mutation blocks lumen formation for the -4L but not for the -4S isoform. This difference is likely due to the fact that phosphorylation of S459 (absent in the -4L isoform) positively compensates for loss of T457 in the -4S isoform, while S461 (absent in the -4S isoform) negatively regulates lumen formation in the -4L isoform. Thus, phosphorylation of these key residues may exert a fine control over the role of the -4L isoform (compared to the -4S isoform) in lumen formation.     

Complete Genome Sequence of the Novel Lytic Avian Pathogenic Coliphage NJ01

Bacteriophages of the C3 morphotype, characterized by very long heads that exceed their width several times, are extremely rare among the Podoviridae family members and constitute only 0.5% of over 5,500 phages that have been examined by the electron microscope (H. W. Ackermann, Arch. Virol. 152:227-243, 2007; H. W. Ackermann, Arch. Virol. 146:843-857, 2001). To date, among those phages proven to be C3, only coliphage phiEco32, Lactococcus phage KSY1, Vibrio phage 71A-6, and Salmonella enterica phage 7-11, but no avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) bacteriophages, have been completely sequenced (A. Chopin, H. Deveau, S. D. Ehrlich, S. Moineau, and M. C. Chopin, Virology 365:1-9, 2007; S. A. Khan, et al., Mol. Cell Probes 15:61-69, 2001; A. M. Kropinski, E. J. Lingohr, H. W. Ackermann, Arch. Virol. 156:149-151, 2011; D. Savalia, et al., J. Mol. Biol. 377:774-789, 2008) and are available in public databases. We isolated a bacteriophage from a scale duck market in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, named NJ01, that infects APEC. Sequence and morphological analyses revealed that phage NJ01 is a C3-like bacteriophage and belongs to the Podoviridae family. Here, we announce the complete genome sequence of phage NJ01 and submit the results of our analysis.